ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Best score was a USMC EGA (left collar/side cap) by KG Luke I snaffled for AUD$12 at an antique fair in Mildura. Retail was around US$300 at the time.
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my latest acquisitions
- Thread starter Edward
- Start date
lol well done! personally I haven't been to one of those fairs for years, it used to be held at the old Sydney show ground which was about 15 mins by bus from where I used to lived, but these days, I think it is all the way out in Penrith, which is like 1+ hour drive away........
Earloffunk
Well-Known Member
So here it is, my CWU-36/p. It is made in a not so shiny cloth. I like it. Makes a nice addition to my collection and it was not too expensive either.
Attachments
Edward
Well-Known Member
added the R-14 Receiver Headset and throat mic of Second Lieutenant JOHN ROLLA WENDALL PHILLIPS Serial number A0798164 to my collection.
Its an early brown foam rubber padded set in really amazing shape.
He started his career earning his military pilot's license and instrument training in the army air forces in 1942. Phillips went on to serve a total of 21 years, piloted over 56 different types of aircraft and logged over 7000 hours of flight time. He became an instructor in the last year of the war and into the 50's and 60's. He was also an aircraft maintenance officer and a test pilot at Muroc and Edwards. All weather night fighter pilot and operations officer with 319th F. I. Sq. in Korea. Retired as a Major.
Have you ever seen this done? he painted his green and yellow! also added his name.
Its an early brown foam rubber padded set in really amazing shape.
He started his career earning his military pilot's license and instrument training in the army air forces in 1942. Phillips went on to serve a total of 21 years, piloted over 56 different types of aircraft and logged over 7000 hours of flight time. He became an instructor in the last year of the war and into the 50's and 60's. He was also an aircraft maintenance officer and a test pilot at Muroc and Edwards. All weather night fighter pilot and operations officer with 319th F. I. Sq. in Korea. Retired as a Major.
Have you ever seen this done? he painted his green and yellow! also added his name.
Edward
Well-Known Member
Edward
Well-Known Member
Ed
You have a mini museum there . Glad you finally showed us the whole enchilada
Didn’t realize you had collected so much flight gear with parachute harnesses , Mae Wests etc
Nice stuff!
its a hobby that got out of control
Edward
Well-Known Member
I really need to get out more... good thing I don't have a girlfriend... lol! added to my collection a Browning M2 Post Sight 37B 3578 TYPE A-4 and Ring Sight 42B 7586 TYPE B-14 (and on that note I'm going out for a long walk) 
(I believe most brownings had the shorter B-11 or B-10 ring site. this is the first I've seen of the taller B-14.)
(I believe most brownings had the shorter B-11 or B-10 ring site. this is the first I've seen of the taller B-14.)
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Edward
Well-Known Member
I have an original B-17 Cruver, original B-24 Cruver and an original B-26 Cruver. I have a repro B-25 Mitchell cruver... those are my main 4 interests in the USAAF hobby of mine. they come up on eBay from time to time and as you would expect the B-17 and B-24s always get a lot of bidding. I don't recommend collecting them though as they are prone to decay as they were produced under wartime rationing conditions and these were made with very inferior products and highly disproportioned chemical mixtures. I am lucky so far in that my 17 and 24 are stable but my B-26 has what is commonly known as the melts. the cullulose acetate starts to get a vinegar smell and gets sticky and slowly decays. right now my B-26 has it where the wings connect to the fuselage so one day the wings will droop and fall off into a pile of goo. its held up and not spread too much in the past 2 years so far. The Smithsonian museum tried real hard to find a way to slow or stop this but found there is nothing that can be done and almost their entire display was taken down due to both the melts and dry rot where the plastic just gets hard and shrinks and falls apart. so its not an investment to be sure. its something I wanted for my display for as long as they will last but their days are numbered I'm sure. they might still outlast me but most collectors have found their larger planes succumbing to the deterioration. so in my opinion they are not worth the money people ask on eBay since many tend to not be stable. I may have gotten lucky and my B17 and B24 may have been created early with the proper mixtures. These weren't designed to last beyond the war anyway. not really made for longevity. wood ones were also produced. as you probably know model kits were sold and even given away for something for kids to do to feel like they were doing their part. they built them and painted them and sent them off to the army to be distributed to training centers just as the manufactured cullulose acetate ones were. now just prior to America entering the war many were made in aluminum and pot metal and those go for a lot of money. I have seen two metal B-17 spotters come up in the past year. very desirable. (Oh, the other B-17 I have that is hanging from the ceiling is a modern repro recast.)
Edward
Well-Known Member
Thomas Koehle
Well-Known Member
what a collection
Edward
Well-Known Member
Finally added a CBI Pointie Talkie to my collection. these were often included with the CBI escape evasion kits. sometimes just distributed in general to the crew... not sure why these are so pricey today as they don't seem particularly rare except perhaps the first edition but usually these are listed for $200 to $300. I finally landed one for $58.09 taxed and shipped. I've seen them with tan, blue, green and purple covers.
